Electric time switch



May 20 1924, I 1,495,112 F. SAUTER ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH Filed March 23,1920 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 20, 1924.

UNITED srA'rEs FRITZ SAUTER, 0F BASEL, SWITZERLAND.

ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH.

Application filed March 23. 1920. Serial No. 368,114.

T 0 all whom it may concern-I Be it known that I, FRITZ SAU'rnn. acitizen of the Swiss Republic, and resident of Basel. Switzerland, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Electric Time Switches, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

The invention relates to electric time switches comprising a springdriven clock movement adapted at predetermined intervals of time toconnect in circuit an electric motor for actuating the contact elementsof the switch and for automatically winding up the driving spring of theclock movement. The special feature of the improved construction of thepresent invention consists in the arrangement whereby the winding up ofthe spring barrel of the clock movementat each switching operation iseliected by the electric motor by means of a transmission gear wheel anda coupling member cooperating therewith, the coupling member remainingconnected to the transmission gear wheel until after the spring barrelhas been completely wound. A control element operated by the springbarrel during the winding operation disengages the coupling member withthe object of winding the spring barrel at each switching operation toan extent exceeding the extent of running down until the spring is fullywound.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 ofwhich is a diagrammatic view of a construction embodying the invention,whilst Figure 2 shows the "detail of a commutator, Figure 3 shows theoperative connection of the clock movement with a relay switch andFigure 4 is a corresponding plan view thereof.

Referring now to the drawings it will be seen that the time switchcomprises the spring barrel 1 (Figure 1) of a clock movement, of whichonly onedriving wheel 2 is shown which is connected to a time disc(Figs. 3 and 4) by means of a toothed gear 'not-slrown in Figure 1, butrepges nted in Figure 3J0 rotate said time disc." he time disc 40 oftheclock movement is arranged Y to actuate a relay switch 3 by ;means oftappets 41, 42 mounted on said disc and coopcrating with the movablelever 3 of the switch 3, which is ferably provided with a known quickaction throwing-in device. The axis of the switch lever 3 carries acontrol lever 44 with abutting parts 45, 46 arranged so as to berespectively in the path of movement of the tappets 41, 42. The switch 3controls a circuit indicated at 4, 5 including a small elecrtic motor 6and a revolving commutator'7. The latter consists of an electricallyconducting rotatable disc 8 having two insulating segments 9 (Figure 2)and two contact springs 10, 11 pressing against the periphery of thedisc. The contact springs 10, 11 are connected to the contacts 12, 13 ofthe relay switch 3, anda contact spring 14 which is in constantengagement with the conducting portion of the disc 8, is connected toone terminal of the electric motor 6. The disc 8 is located on therotatable switch spindle 15, which carries the switch contacts 16completing the electric circuit a: to be controlled. The switch spindle15 also carries a gear-wheel 17 which intermeshes with an intermediarygear wheel 18 in engagement with a toothed pinion 19 mounted'on theelectric motor shaft 20. On the spindle 2120f the intermediary gearwheel 18 a. transmission wheel 22 is loosely mounted between two shaftcollars, the wheel 22 engaging-with the transmission gear 1 of thespring barrel. The gear 1 also intermeshes with aetoothed control pinion23 mounted upon a rotatable screw-threaded spindle 24 which is providedwith a gear wheel 25 intermeshin'g with the driving wheel 2. Theintermediate spindle 21 also carries a coupling sleeve 26 adapted toslide along the spindle by means of feather and key-way, the sleevetending to move towards the gear wheel 22 under the action of a spring27. The sleeve 26 is provided with a coupling dog 28 "which cooperateswith a corresponding dog'- 2 9 on the gear wheel 22. A disengagingleverf O extends between two flanges on the sleevef26, the free end ofthis lever being in engagen'ient with the control pinion 23. A pawlmechanism 31 prevents the backward movement of the spring barrel 1.

1 The operation of the electric time switch above described issubstantially as follows At a certain time, the tappet 41 of the timedisc 40 (Figure 3) actuated by the clock movement strikes against theabutting part 45 of the controllever 44 to throw the switch lever 3 tothe right as shown in Figure 1 When the control circuit 4, 5 is thusclosed to one side by means of the relay switch 3 under the action ofthe time disc of the apparatus the electric motor 6 is started; intooperation and drives the switch,

spindle 15 (Figure 1) and at the same time,

by means of the coupling sleeve 26, (the dogs 28 and 29 being inengagement with one another) drives the transmission gear wheel 22 towind the spring barrel 1. After a predetermined rotary. movement of theswitch spindle 15 the switch contacts 16 carried thereby have completedthe switching operation, that is to say the'connection ordisconnection'of the circuit m to be controlled. As the spring barrel 1is wound up the control pinion 23 is moved along the relativelystationary screw-threaded spindle 24 to a predetermined extent. At thesame time the commutator disc 8 will havebeen rotated by an amount suchthat the contact spring 10 previously carrying current passes on to oneinsulating segment 9 of the disc, the contact spring 11 however whichwas previously not traversed by current passing from the otherinsulating segment to the conducting portion of the disc 8. At the nextoperation of the time disc 40, when the tappet 42 (Figure 3) strikesagainst the end 46 of the control lever 44, the switch lever 3 of therelay switch 3 is thrown to the other side and the circuit of theelectric motor is again closed through the contact spring 11 which isnow in contact with the.

conducting portion of the commutator disc 8, whereby the current passesin the same direction as before through the motor. The electric motorthus efiects a fresh switching operation in the circuit a; to becontrolled and a further winding of the spring barrel takes place. Thisrepeated winding of the spring barrel causes its spring to be furtherwound up on each occasion since each winding operation is designed towind up the spring to a greater extent than it is unwound by the runningdown of the clock movement until finally after the spring barrel hasbeen fully Wound the control pinion 23 has moved sufliciently along itsspindle to cause the disengaging lever 30 to act upon the couplingsleeve 26 against the action of the spring 27 so as to effect thedisengagement of the coupling whereupon the winding operation isdiscontinued. The position of the parts under these conditions is shownfor example in Figure 1. As the clock movement runs down the controlpinion 23 does not rotate but on the other hand the screwthreadedspindle 24 being rotated by the driving wheel 2 the control pinion 23again slowly moves downwards and again permits the engagement of thecoupling sleeve 26 for a new rewinding movement.

'What I claim is In a spring barrel clockwork controlled electric motordriven time switch, a mechaby the spring barrel during the windingoporation, and interconnecting means between "said control pinion andthe coupling member to disengage the same when the spring barrel isfully rcwound, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this third day ofMarch, 1920, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRITZ SAUTER.

Vitnesses WILLIAM E. HOLLAND, AMAND BANN.

